what are the housing requirements for ducks?

[Jody]

I am new to owning ducks. I have one call duck right now, but hope to get more, and perhaps maybe a couple Pekin. What are their housing requirements? Such as sq ft per duck, do they need a duck version of a perch, etc.. Do I add ventilation the same as I do for chickens?

What should I use for bedding? My call duck is in a mix of pine shavings and straw with a little bit of timothy hay.

 

[CoopCrazy]

Not sure about sq ft.. But I know I had 4 pekins in a 10X10 and it was decimated in threee days .. No grass, no roots just gone....

 

[gryeyes]

University of California at Davis recommends 4 sq feet per duck in housing. I'm gonna build a small duck house for my two Cayugas (hopefully before they are fully feathered and ready for outdoors!) and I found this a link to something I could adapt.


http://www.ehow.com/how_4451013_build-wooden-duck-houses.html

The dimensions inside are 3 ft by 3 ft.

Somebody else on BYC shared a photo of a duck house, and the inside dimensions were 3 ft by 4 ft.

Both showed a little "porch" in front. No roosts/perches necessary. I'll be using pine shavings. Water should be kept OUTSIDE the housing, in the run. And it's even recommended to put water some distance from feed, so "domesticated" ducks have to travel a little bit to get to the food, for exercise. I think that distance is like a couple yards, not around the block.

I don't know the answer to the ventilation problem, though.

 

[Jody]

Thank you.

Unfortunately, I have to put water inside the house, cause the ducks will get locked in for the night, plus my call duck is blind. I'm picking up a wooden doghouse tomorrow that I'm gonna convert into a duck house.